Madikwe Game Reserve
| Madikwe Game Reserve | |
|---|---|
 A group ofAfrican bush elephantsin Madikwe Game Reserve | |
 Location in North West province | |
| Location | North West Province,South Africa |
| Nearest city | Zeerust |
| Coordinates | 24°49′S26°13′E/ 24.817°S 26.217°E |
| Area | 750 km2(290 sq mi) |
| Established | 1994 |
| www | |
  Madikwe Game Reserve (North West (South African province))  Madikwe Game Reserve (South Africa) | |
Madikwe Game Reserveis aprotected areainSouth Africaand was named after the Madikwe orMarico River,on whose basin it is located. It comprises 750 km2(290 sq mi) of bushland north of the small town ofGroot-Maricoup to the border withBotswana.It was opened in 1994.[1]
Geography
[edit]Madikwe Game Reserve is currently the fifth largest game reserve in South Africa encompassing 750 km2(290 sq mi), including the now incorporated privately owned land.[citation needed] The area used to be farm land, but owing to the poor soil type, farming was not that successful. After extensive research, the South African government found that this land would best be utilised as a game reserve, to economically uplift this otherwise rather poor area.
Wildlife
[edit]
The process of reintroducing wildlife to the area began in 1992 under the codename Operation Phoenix which relocated entire breeding herds of theAfrican bush elephant,African buffalo,south-central black rhinocerosandsouthern white rhinocerosalong with various species of antelopes. Following Operation Phoenix, Madikwe has also successfully reintroduced predatory species such aslion,cheetah,spotted hyenaandAfrican wild dogso that more than 60 mammal species occur in the game reserve.[citation needed]
Vegetation
[edit]The terrain is mainly open grasslands andbushveldplains, interspersed with rocky outcrops and single mountains.[citation needed]
Climate and weather
[edit]
Madikwe forms part of asemi-aridregion on the edge of theKalaharidesert. In this region the climate can be broken into the rainy season (October – April) and the dry season (May – September). Summers overlap with the rainy season. Temperatures are high (32 °C / 90 °F) with cooling thunderstorms common in the late afternoon, evenings are mild (18 °C / 64 °F). Winters here are dry, with mild days (21 °C / 70 °F) and chilly nights (3 °C / 37 °F). Game viewing is good at all times of the year though most animals tend to congregate around available water sources during the winter.[2]
References
[edit]- ^"Establishment of Nature Reserve in terms of the Bophuthatswana Nature Conservation Act, 1973"(PDF).Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs.
- ^"About the Madikwe Game Reserve - Etali Safari Lodge".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-04-02.Retrieved2015-03-06.